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EDC Wargames: South Pacific
Southwest Pacific Not a cloud can be seen as the blue, blue ocean reflects the color of the deep blue sky almost perfectly, a pure shade that can only be found on the high seas or upper atmosphere, far, far away from the industrial pollution of the land. The cool wind is brisk, almost severe, whipping up dancing whitecaps on the eight-foot swells. Schools of sparkling silver flying fish leap from the water for brief, gravity-defying flights to escape a pod of hungry dolphins following them, not only beneath the waves but playfully leaping above them. Contents: UNS Atlantis Tropical Island Cruising along in the vincinity of the small, possibly still-uncharted land mass known to some as 'Dinobot Island', the UNS Atlantis is busier than ever today. Squads of EDC jets and Exo-Suits take off steadily, flying out in formation while others come back in to land. The decks are also unusually crowded, every space that won't get in the way of normal operation filled with, sophisticated C&C equipment, recording machinery, and sensor stations for observers. The reason for all the extra activity: the scheduled EDC Wargames. The plan calls for simulating an attack by a mixed air/water force on the EDC carrier. Autobots have been invited to help bolster the ranks on both the 'attacking' and 'defending' sides, with the added hope that both sides will gain a better understanding of each other's tactics and capabilities, and perhaps even learn to work better together. Outside, Battle Cruiser is circling the Atlantis at a respectable altitude, thrusters barely working to keep him moving at his slow pace. He banks a bit to the left, keeping the circle going as he radios: "Scattershot to Atlantis. As stupid an assignment as this is, Rodimus has ordered me to be your attacker. Advise when ready." James Bailey stands in the bridge of the Atlantis, one corner of which has been converted into the Wargames nerve center. James is ready to feed updates into the battle computers and relay information to the participants of today's excersise. He had a hard time arm-twisting EDC troopers into the intern-like duty of manning the communications consoles, so instead he settled for something (that's right, 'something'...not 'someone') just as good, and possibly better. James taps out a few keys next to a small holotank and then points at the small green icon labeled 'Col Faireborn' and the larger red icon labelled 'A. Scattershot' as they join the squads that have a 'ready' label. "See that, Specialist? We're almost ready to start." Outside, Ventress Exo-Suit Jet is flying on auto-pilot while the pilot makes some minor adjustments to the control scheme in the cockpit. Once she's done, she clicks on her radio. "Phoenix Lead Standby." Apocryphacius watches over Bailey's shoulder, quite curious. This marks his first time on the Atlantis. Luckily, it seems that Quintessons do not get seasick. At least one, this one doesn't, thankfully. He then hovers over to a communications console, looking it over. He replies, "I see, sir. Is this exercise live-fire?" He sounds vaguely concerned. Outside, The icons representing Faireborn and her two wingmen blink to a ready status as the trio check in. As she has a bit of time before the games begin, Marissa takes the time to admire the view of the Atlantis. The skies are buzzing with defenders, and it never ceases to make Marissa proud to see everyone working together with such efficiency. Outside, Ventress Exo-Suit Jet continues flying with the Atlantis, and she's the fourth member on Marissa's team for now. needless to say.....Siryn's on a bit of a roll....somehow. Outside, Battle Cruiser continues to circle, waiting for the GO order to make his move. Outside, Grimlock can swim! As such, he waits in the water- lurking, really- only his head visible above the waves as they lap around. "Hrrr hrrr hrrr." he laughs to himself. "Dinobot Island ME GRIMLOCK island! Me show them!" he comments to...nobody in particular. Guess who's side he's on in all this? He still knows it's a 'training exercise,' though. Outside, UNS Atlantis emits a few whooping 'alert' noises that can be heard clearly throughout the ship and in the space around it. After a moment, James' voice rings out from external speakers dotting the ship. "All units, we are ready to begin. Everyone remember that this is a simulation, but we will ineed be using live fire. Attacks -should- be tuned down to do less damage, and medical staff will be on hand, but don't do anything too reckless out there. You may begin when ready!" James Bailey says, "That's the cue, guys. I recommend a high air attack. The Atlantis' weapons systems are active and will be considered part of the defending force." Daniel is in his civilian clothes. He sits quietly, observing Bailey's orders. Outside, From Exo-Armor Talon , Sam is here, on the offensive team. Why? Cross-training, maybe. An engineering/support pilot is much more likely to be defending some kind of fortification rather than attacking, so practical hands-on experience in an offensive role is at a premium. Also, -someone- has to get shot down in this exercise, and getting shot down is pretty much Sam's M.O. so far. James Bailey says, "Get ready guys. The Atlantis' weapons systems are active and will be considered part of the defending force, but the 'attackers' could approach from any direction, using any tactics they wish." Scattershot says, "Scattershot to good team. Scatter for a click, then turn and attack." Outside, Exo-armor Talon Robot shifts into jet mode. Sam says, "... battle plan is simply 'attack'?" Apocryphacius listens along to the bands of radio chatter, rather uncertain as to just what it is he is meant to be doing here. Scattershot says, "You got a better one, Water-Bag?" Outside, <> Marissa's voice crackles over the shortwave defence broadband. <> Marissa gently eases the flight stick to the side. Her four-man team's route is central to the Atlantis's defensive sphere. While this means they won't be the first contact for any attackers, they will be among the first to respond as reinforcements depending on where the invaders choose to strike from. Outside, "'Bout time!" And Grimlock springs into action! Well, perhaps 'springs' isn't as good a word as, say...swims. He cruises through the water, again, only his head visible- as he heads towards the Atlantis at a surprising rate! It's worth noting, however, that Grimlock's not particularly stealthy, either. Somebody's radar's going to go *BLIP!* very, very soon. Outside, From Exo-Armor Talon , Sam sighs and tosses a book labeled 'EDC Field Operations Complete Situational Strategy and Tactics Guidebook (for Dummies)' into the back of his Talon's cockpit and then pushes forward on the throttle. The Talon climbs high up into the air as it approaches the combat zone. Outside, Battle Cruiser doesn't do anything flashy or stunty. He simply hits his thrusters, straightens out his course and zooms off into the distance. After a few kilometer, the battle cruiser turns in a lazy 180, making a course correction that brings him towards the Atlantis at the ship's large back side. As he gets back into range, he locks targets on the outter perimeter troops that were left to die here. As he kicks his thrusters into fight speeds, he lets loose a volley aimed at the poor suckers that Marissa has sent to their simulated deaths. Outside, Ventress Exo-Suit Jet is casually doing scans off in the distance. Unfortunately she's near the fore of the Atlantis....so she might not pick up Scattershot right away. Noah Wolfe stays safe within one of the communication centers deep within the super carrier. He's just looking at sensor reports and multi-frequency broadcasts tracked by the communication arrays of the ship. Low-ranking EDC troopers begin shouting out warnings of an attacking Battlecruiser towards the rear of the Atlantis! Outside, As Scattershot falls within range of the picket scouts in the northwestern patrol sector - a pair of Shrike fighter jets - the location and identification of the Technobot is immediately transmitted back to every other EDC defender unit. Per 'the plan', the pair then immediately break formatation and high-tail it back to safety, doing their best to not engage the Technobot powerhouse. <> Colonel Faireborn reports. <> For someone back on the Atlantis with access to a nice overhead map of the scenario, they'll notice two things. First, several defender squads, including Faireborn's, are now streaking towards the incoming Autobot battlestation. Second, the other patrol routes and picket scouts have been shifted to compensate for the jets that have been tasked with dealing with Scattershot. The patrol cover is lighter now, but still effective. Scattershot meanwhile is moments away from being within weapons range of the main EDC defence force sent to ward him off. The Colonel flicks off the missile-firing safety tag. On her HUD, a red crosshair floats across her vision before settling on Scattershot's image. The crosshair then switches to green, indicating a target lock. Hopefully the others in her squad have done the same. Outside, Grimlock grunts. "Hn!" he muses, and presses on. On close-band radio, be beams info up to his 'troops.' "You Scattershot and you other guy shoot lasers now! Shoot stuff at stupid jets first!" That's the 'plan', as it were. At least it is...for now! As for Grimlock, his head dissapears beneath the waves, but a large, dark mass can be seen a few feet underneath, pressing onward! The Sonar techs should probably be noticing the decidedly un-stealthy thing pressing in, too! Daniel looks at the scanners as some of the sonar sensors start to buzz in alarm. He opts not to ask James about anything - for concern he'd break his concentration. Outside, Exo-Armor Talon Jet reaches an altitude of several thousand feet. Apparently its pilot has decided to hang back and let the battle cruiser get all of the attention from the first wave of defenders before actually making a full attack run. Which, when you think about it, is not a bad idea, considering the relative size, speed, and weapons complement of the Talon versus the gestalt leader. James Bailey raises his eyebrows, peering at the icons on the holotank and then glancing at the screen. "According to the battle computer, the members of the 3285th Squad would have avoided the attack from that Autobot battlecruiser. Only one of them would have taken any damage, and it's minor at the worst. Specialist, can you transmit this data to them? It won't do anything sophisticated like disable the affected systems, although maybe for future excersises we could --" James is cut off as the regular crew on board the ship raise their voices, shouting out warnings to the captain about the approaching Grimlock just a few seconds after Daniel notices the sensor contact. The captain does an admirable job of keeping his calm, probably because he knows this is all a simulation. He calmly orders the ship to deploy anti-submarine defenses. Outside, As the troops pull back, Scattershot stops with the shooting. He continues his course for another few seconds, getting to within range, then does something unexpected... he hopes. Small jets all over the massive battlecruiser flare to life. They start the flying craft into a nose-over-thrusters spin, then stop him just as suddenly as his thrusters go from a red glow to a blue burn. He begins rocketing directly upwards and away from the battle completely on a course for the stars as if somethin had just scared him away. Scattershot says, "Hit 'em now, boys! And hit 'em hard!" Apocryphacius relays, as if quoting something, "According to the battle computer, the members of the 3285th Squad would have avoided the attack from that Autobot battlecruiser. Only one of them would have taken any damage, and it's minor at the worst." Outside, You strike Grimlock with Mark XXId high-speed training torpedos. Noah Wolfe tries to focus on his job. Even though this is a simulation, it looks and feels like the real thing. Noah says, "Aye, transmitting data now." He makes the appropriate commands into his com terminal and sends off the data to the 3285th's position, encrypted of course. Outside, Grimlock is not a submarine! He's struck by a torpedo all the same- which elicits a bemused 'grunt' from the dinocommander as it splashes up around him! Grumbling a bit, Grimlock surfaces- and brings out his laser blaster- taking care to thumb the setting switch to an appropriately wussy setting. "Grrh! Me Grimlock get you, big boat!" he growls, and opens fire! Outside, Exo-Armor Talon Jet rolls into an inverted dive, aiming directly at the deck of the Atlantis. Somewhere in the vicinity of the engineering section. Sam flips the safety catch off the Talon's currently simulated main armament, charging up the simulated railgun and launching a volley of simulated gauss ammunition at the simulated vital locations of the Atlantis (simulated). The pilot rolls the craft again to break off in another direction, now only a few hundred feet off the waterline and banking left and right to avoid any dumbfire retaliation. Outside, Grimlock strikes you with Little Bitty Laser. for 3 points of damage. Outside, "The f---?" The Colonel mutters under her breath as Scattershot suddenly breaks away from his attack and rockets straight upwards. The obvious decision she must make now is whether to follow the Technobot and leave the rest of the battle squadron down several squads, or to fall back to the waiting position, thus giving Scattershot the initiative once again. Luckily (or unluckily, depending on your perspective) the decision isn't hers to make. Scattershot is a space capable starship. The Talons can't keep up with him even if she wanted to - especially not on a vertical trajectory Reluctantly forced to let the Technobot go with nary a scratch on him, Marissa transmits again on the defender broadband. <> Faireborn's Talon squad veers around at a sharp angle, returning towards the main battle group. On a tight beam frequency, she calls in to HQ. <> Apocryphacius says, "Scattershot and Grimlock have been sighted underwater." Marissa Faireborn says, "Scattershot is underwater? Confirm that, HQ. Are you sure? We just ID'd him heading upwards." Altantis Bridge Bunny Haies says, "Attention, Aramasu Hikage has been contacted and reinforcements are in route. ETA in ten." Outside, Marissa is a smart cookie. The Tehconobot doesn't stay in his climb for too long. Instead, he heads up to what should be out of radar range, cuts thrusters and lets his momentum carry him against gravity until the latter slowly wins the battle for Scattershot. Slowly, he begins to head towards the sea far below. Transforming, he freefalls for a while, then draws both of his rifles. With the two in hand, the two ON his hands, the pair on his shoulders and the final couple on his legs all trained on the Atlantis, the deft flier dials down the power and looses yet another volley, this time as if a raiding party were falling from the skies. All that in only one mech. Outside, Ventress Exo-Suit Jet FINALLY gets some noise on her radio. <> Outside, Exo-Armor Talon Jet strikes you with Railgun (simulated) for 1 points of damage. Outside, UNS Atlantis hardly moves from the dinolasers strike the hull and super heats the water around it with a fizzle. One of the bridge operators calls out, "Minor damage to primary hull layers. Nothing to worry about." The Captain says, "Good, lets give this dinobot something to worry about. CIC, engage eagle talons! Bring us twenty degrees to port and fire once we get a sonar fix on Grimlock." Sam's fighter rakes across the deck blowing simulated holes in the landing deck. The Captain however ignores the smaller fighter. He's going for the bigger fish. He looks over at Apoc, "Keep a sonar lock on him, give our gunners something to aim with." His gaze looks back over towards the gunners, whoever that might be, "Eagle talons, fire!" Several mini-guns moutned along the hull open up raking the water above Grimlock with simulated shells and tracer rounds. Outside, You strike Grimlock with "Eagle Talons" 75mm automatic multi-barrel CIWS. The channel is filled with shouts of surprise and confusion as Scattershot's barrage of fire rains down on them. "There's a whole squad up there!" one voice shouts. "Negative, it's just one!" someone else snaps back. "Ugh! Command is notifying me I would have been shot down by that barrage!" complains another 'defender'. James Bailey says, "Nice work with that barrage, Scattershot. Computer reports your high volume of fire would have rendered one Shrike inoperable, with moderate damage to three others. Only minor damage to the Atlantis itself, though." Outside, Marissa Faireborn monitors Scattershot's retreat via radar until he's out of range, at which point she taps into the Atlantis's much more sophisticated sensor network and watches from there. She's just waiting for the Technbot to turn about and initiate some strike. She doesn't think she'll make it back to the Atlantis by the time Scattershot makes his next move, and she's right. The Gestalt Commander's ascent slows, stops, and then reverses as he falls downwards towards the sea. <> Faireborn calls out over the radio. <> The four exo-jets (assumine Talazia is still with Marissa and her bodyguards) move in an attempt to intercept the falling Technobot Commander. <> With Scattershot now in robot mode and blasting away at the Atlantis from above, Faireborn and her guards regain missile lock, each firing a pair of shortranged friend or foe missiles. As this is a simulation the warheads are duds, but the total of six missiles might give Scattershot a few dents here and there. Hit or miss, Faireborn leads her squad around the Technobot in order to gear up for a second attack run. Outside, Grimlock grrs! Tracer rounds 'ping!' off of his armor- but don't seem to slow him down too much. Somebody might've wanted to explain to Grimlock the concept of 'simulated' damage. Maybe. Regardless! He keeps a-cruising up towards the ship, finally coming to the side of the hull- And even as the chaingun rounds blaze away at him, Grimlock raises one mighty fist, and sends it forward, RIGHT into the hull of the ship! He's not pulling his punches, here- instead, just beating on targets that can take it! And if nothing else, it might just rattle all those squishy humans hiding inside! *BONG!* Outside, Grimlock strikes you with Punch! for 8 points of damage. Scattershot says, "Hmph. I was aimin' for the command tower." Daniel is jarred from that last punch from Grimlock. "Ugh!" He looks around, seeing how the craft is handling the punishment. "So that's what it feels like to be on the receiving end of one of those..." Outside, Ventress Exo-Suit Jet is definitely in formation with Faireborn.....and can be heard typing over the radio. <> She says as a klaxon beeps near her eyes. Outside, From Exo-Armor Talon , Sam pulls up sharply and banks his Talon around the Atlantis while he's being ignored. Apparently there's some advantage to being small and ineffective -- no one shoots at you. Since his single Talon is just a gnat compared to the Bots, this game is going to Scattershot and Grimlock. So Sam makes the most logical tactical decision he can manage, and that is to disrupt the defenders that are going after the Bots. Kicking in the afterburners, he turns and goes after the rearmost jet in Marissa's formation, unsure of who it actually is. His jet's targeting systems start locking on, and Sam pulls the trigger for his wargames-level laser emitters. James Bailey grits his teeth as the vibrations from Grimlock's blow reverberate throughout the ship. Then he gives a slightly disbelieving look at the icon representing Scattershot. "Uh...is it me or are these guys really getting into this?" He glances over at a few screens, then feeds in some new data with the EDC 'defending' units that have been rendered inoperable. He also notes the lone blip representing Sam's Talon...he can't exactly fault the defenders for ignoring it while it was attacking the massively defended Atlantis, but against another Talon it should be much more of a threat. Noah Wolfe says, "Captain, the Colonel confirms Scattershot moving back into play on the field. They're asking if we need assistance with the dinobot." He's a bit slow on the uptake, but eventually gets the message out. The captain says, "No, we do not need help with just one..." he grunts as the whole ship shutters a bit from the dinobot's punch, "..nnnh...helmsman, grind him into our hull! I want to hear our props turning him into dinobot chow!" The helmsman cranks hard on the wheel turning the ship so its side comes smashing into Grimlock while listing heavily to one side. One punch deserves a hit and run. It might help getting the dinobot off the hull as well. Outside, You strike Grimlock with ram. Outside, You take 10 points of damage from striking Grimlock. Outside, Faireborn would have prefered that Talazia told Scattershot herself, but this isn't the time to argue about it. Flicking open a com channel to Scattershot, << I hope you don't mind one of our pilots testing out a new weapons system, Scattershot. If this turns out to be bad then I'll owe you an ener-coke. >> Pithy words, but Faireborn is hoping Keldahoff's missile salvo works as it's intended to. A warning light flashes in Marissa's cockpit and she checks the radar screens. An attacking Talon has come up behind the formation. The target lock isn't on her - that much is clear - but another. <> Outside, *CLANG!* *GLUB!* Grimlock dissapears under the prow of the Atlantis, hit with a million tons of steel! And so, the aircraft carrier steams on... But then, in its wake, a figure bursts out of the water! "RRAARRGH!" says Grimlock as he soars into the air immediately behind the carrier- immediately, auto-defenses and passing exo-jets take potshots at him, but it doesn't slow him down in the slightest! With a burst of his anti-gravs, Grimlock soars a little higher- and then transforms in midair, looking to *STOMP!* all of his dino-might down on the upper deck of the aircraft carrier! Once he lands, the dinobot raises his muzzle to the sky and roars, flames bursting forth from his mouth! Looks like getting hit with a carrier made him MAD. Outside, With a grunt and a growl, Grimlock changes into a robot T-rex! Watch out. Outside, Robot T-Rex! strikes you with Stomp! for 5 points of damage. A computerized voice says, "Defending force, prepare for attack from a new vector." A computerized voice says, "Attacking force, prepare for reinforcements." Outside, Ventress Exo-Suit Jet doesn't really hesitate as her thumb nudge the stud on the control stick....sending twelve missiles on a vector towards Scattershot, two flights from different pods. While the missiles seem to cris-cross each other's paths.....eventually they spread out and start exploding in a certain radius around Scattershot. A few more button taps can be heard...as well as a bit of cursing. <> She says as she's hit from behind by Sam.....though.....before the jet dives....a pair of laser blasts lance out towards him. talk about some modifying on this sucker! The upper deck of the Atlantis buckles under the weight of the t-rex landing on it bulging around it and snapping upward in some spots. A gout of flame rockets up past the bridge windows making the captain's eyes go wide, even under the brim of his white naval cap. "Jesus...can he do that?!" he gasps. Down in the CIC deck, the second in command calls out, "Gunners, activate top side mouser M104's!" A pair of open barreled energy cannons slides out and rises up from the deck farther ahead of Grimlock. One swings around while its two sided barrel slides out and opens up with an arc of energy running down its length. The whole space inside the empty space begins to glow just as it points towards the dinobot. The captain says, "Mouser, FIRE!" The weapon officer complies letting rip with a beam of crackling yellow energy towards the dinobot. Noah, for his bit, just watches in curious fascination. For a second, and only a second, he wishes he were the one pulling the trigger and feeling the thrill of the weapon firing at his target. But he shakes his head knowing that's a silly thing to think of and continues listening to the flow of the radio chatter. Outside, You strike Robot T-Rex! with "Mouser M104" 30cm high-energy beam cannons. Talazia Keldahoff says, "Weapon fire success, Colonel!" Marissa Faireborn says, "Good. I'd hate to have Scattershot hold it over my head if it malfunctioned..." Outside, Like something out of a Japanese kaiju movie, Grimlock is bombarded with energy blasts! He doesn't seem to care too much for it. "Raargh!" he growls incoherently- and then stompstompstomps across the deck- turning to open his jaws in the direction of the Mouser, and lets forth a stream of very real fire, hoping to char that Mouser unit out of commission! Just how fireproof -IS- the ship, anyway? Outside, Robot T-Rex! strikes you with Fire Breath! for 5 points of damage. Outside, From Exo-Armor Talon , Sam is not actually expecting Talazia's exo-jet to start shooting backwards, and takes a reciprocal laser blast across the left wing of his Talon before he can react. His tactical computer reports moderate damage across the port control surfaces, but not enough to turn him out of the fight yet. So with Talazia diving out from behind Scattershot, Sam continues with his previous objective as opposed to chasing into some pointless dogfight -- he brings his Talon back on track to try and pick off another one of the aircraft in Marissa's flight group, in order to take pressure off the Technobot and allow him an easier run on the EDC surface ship. Outside, Battle Cruiser takes the missiles in his chest... like a real mech... one that doesn't cry when he's hit by a bunch of missiles in the chest. The falling Technobot Commander begins to tumble in the air, not having an ability to fly or stabalize himself, he does the only thing he's able to do. Transforming back into his flight-capable mode, he continues to fall as his jets make him look more like a falling ball of fire then his true form. Struggling to regain control and fighting for every tumble of it, the Technobot radios out <> The Technobot continues to struggle to regain control. James Bailey frowns as the holotank flicker slightly in time with Grimlock's fiery attack on the ship outside. James activates his radio and starts to send out a message, then pauses as the battle computers gently beep an alert. The icon representing Scattershot is falling like a stone. James Bailey says, "Grimlock is ON the Atlantis. I repeat, the Dinobot Grimlock is on board the Atlantis...Scattershot might be out of it for the moment. At least he's not shooting this time." Talazia Keldahoff says, "on it." Marissa Faireborn says, "Copy that. I'll deal with our mystery Talon attacker." Outside, Ventress Exo-Suit Jet immediately pulls up and rockets above Sam's talon. Of course....this also lines her nose up at grimlock's head. She chuckles as she listens for the familiar beeping sound before thumbing the stuf on her left thumb for the Gauss cannon.....*THOOM* Outside, Colonel Faireborn's formation circles wide around Scattershot's falling form after the successful missile strike. Shooting a target that is heading straight down at such an amazing pace while in a fighter jet is remarkably difficult, and so Marissa signals the formation to take up a slower, yet more mobile stance. << Initiating transformation sequence, >> the Colonel broadcasts. The Talons flip about, shifting from their sleek jet modes into their equally sleek robotic form. This includes 30 seconds of stock footage where the backgrounds are nothing but flashing anime speed lines. Just as they finish the transformation, the Talon to Faireborn's right is blasted by Sam with the simulated weaponry. The computer system onboard Saul's Talon registers the hit and appropriately takes several systems offline. The Talon is still flight worthy, however, and Faireborn looks ready to take full advantage of the numbers advantage. As per discussion on the defence broadband, Keldahoff quickly breaks formation, leaving three to deal with Sam. The trio lock on with the arm mounted laser cannons, trying to blow Sam out of the sky while they hover. Blow him out of the sky in a simulated manner, that is. The mouser melts like wax against the flames. The barrel's top and bottom droops and glows red. The heat eventually reaches the rear capacitors when they explode in a brilliant ball of energy. A bridge bunny says, "Mouser one is gone. Retracting mouser two." She hits a command switch and brings the other weapon down into the relative safety of the ship so it won't get hit next. The Captain says, "Eagle talons, scrape our visitor off our deck." He glares down at Grimlock from his seat in the bridge and says, "Corporal Wolfe, relay a message to our fighters. If they're done playing with the technobot, we could use some assistance getting this one off of our deck." The mini-guns, primarily used to shoot at incoming missiles, turn and are now aiming for a dinobot. Outside, You strike Robot T-Rex! with "Eagle Talons" 75mm automatic multi-barrel CIWS. Noah Wolfe says, "Colonel Faireborn, the Atlantis is requesting assistance on some dinobot removal if you have some fighters free." Talazia Keldahoff says, "Allready on my way, Wolfe." Marissa Faireborn says, "Keldahoff is on the case. I can free up an additional squad at your request, though." James Bailey says, "That might be for the best. The computer system rates the threat level for Grimlock at close quarters even higher than Scattershot's firepower." Outside, Exo-armor Talon Jet shifts into robot mode. Outside, Robot T-Rex! takes Talzia's gauss round, right in the noggin! "Ooof!" he says, and then staggers back a step- only to get bombarded more and more with improvised fire! But, Grimlock is no missile- and the auto-defense systems only seem to pester him more, ping-ing off of his hard, armored frame! Surely any other foe would be cut to ribbons at this point, but...well, who's idea was it to invite Grimlock! He takes a few steps forward, however- and, glaring up at Talzia's exo-suit, glares at it- or, in his case, glares with LASER EYES! Pew pew! Marissa Faireborn says, "I'm transferring control of Gamma squad to you then, Atlantis." Talazia Keldahoff says, "ooo! Got 'im...maybe he has a headache!" Outside, From Ventress Exo-Suit , Talazia Keldahoff is barely able to dodge the first set of laser glares....but the second set hits one of her wings. It sends her into one heck of a barrel roll for the moment....until the Talon transforms. Unfortunately, it's momentum is carrying it RIGHT at grimlock! (and probably land them in a compromising position...... James Bailey says agreeably, "Nice shooting Siryn. I think even he's going to feel -- look out, incoming!" Talazia Keldahoff says, "SUNUVAFLAMINCANTANKEROUSDUNWANNAWORKNOHOW!" Outside, Exo-Armor Talon Robot is in no way going to survive a full barrage from three Talons on speed alone, so Sam hits the big red button to convert his exo-jet into an exo-armor. As pieces of the craft fold, heavier-armored segments lock into place over vital components, just in time to catch hell from the opposition. Registering multiple hits, his suit decides it's time to shut down the left elbow joint, put a sputter in the right lateral stabilizing thruster, and alternately scramble the radar and laser rangefinders. Sam frowns as he watches Scattershot plummet, considering the only reason he drew this much attention in the first place was to take pressure off of the heavy(er)-hitter. Stuck in the fight now, he extends the arm rifles of his Talon and aims for Marissa's command exo! Fully automatic hypersonic dumbfire ammunition fills the air! Outside, From Exo-Armor Talon , (simulated) Atlantis Bridge Bunny Haies says, "Confirmed Colonel. Gamma Squad, move into sector A113. Your target is Grimlock. Move to attack and drive him off the deck." Outside, Robot T-Rex! hnnns, and peers up at the careening Exo. "You humie think you run into me Grimlock?" he growls, swaying his tail a bit. "Me Grimlock got hit by you BOAT! Me STILL HERE! HAW HAW!" And so, the dino-commander braces himself, tail swaying about...and he prepares to stop Talzia's fall! He's...just going to stop it by sinking his teeth into the Exo-Suit and not letting go until something breaks, however. -CHOMP!- Talazia Keldahoff winces as metal can be heard grinding. "Uh, Guys? Grimlock's taking this a BIT too far!" Outside, UNS Atlantis steams ahead moving a half speed leaving a froth behind it a mile wide. The Captain says, "Eagle Talons, continue firing on Grimlock. Don't let up for an instant." There's not much he can do without damaging the ship or letting Grimlock have the other beam weapon. He says, "Where's that blasted Gamma squad?!" Outside, Ventress Exo-Suit Jet flails as she rams right smack into Grimlock! The Talon tries extremely hard to loosen Grimlock's mouth on it's wing. <> Outside, While Grimlock's attention is momentarily distracted from the Atlantis, the EDC's Gamma Squad moves into play. Waiting deep underwater in Riptide water-capable Exo-suits, they'd wondered if they would be sent against the mighty Dinobot when he made his underwater approach, but instead were held in reserve until now. They rise quickly to the surface, appearing on both sides of the section of the carrier where Grimlock is. They shoot out of the water like massive military-tech dolphins, then jet into the air and land on the deck in a rough square around Grimlock. Taking aim they open fire on the Dinobot's legs to catch him from multiple directions! Outside, You strike Robot T-Rex! with Gamma Squad crossfire!. Outside, Robot T-Rex! says something to Talzia- but the fact that his big dino-teeth are dug into the side of her exo-suit probably doesn't help much. Still, he takes care to set her down upon the deck, gently...which doesn't help too much, as he starts growling at Gamma Squad. "Rrrgh! Stupid fish-mans! Me Grimlock smash!" And with that, he stomps forward (accidentally stepping ON Talzia's Exo in the proccess, oops), and attempts to sweep his tail around at the Riptides to knock them back into the water from whence they came! Outside, Continually fighting for control, Scattershot descends quickly, but it's obvious that he's slowly regaining his ability to not crash into things. The fight carries him all the way down to just above the water of the sea. He's finally to stop himself, though as if to prove how close it was, the exhaust from his maneuvering jets makes the water under him look like a hot tub on full bubble blast. Hovering there for a few moments, the Technobot's voice comes over the channel <> With that, he begins to creep forward and upwards, not moving anywhere near quickly from the (simulated) combat zone. Outside, Ventress Exo-Suit Jet is literally mooshed by Grimlock stepping on her. Unfortuantely it also causes her laser to fire into Grimlock's leg...her rifle to fire into Grimlock's tail....and one of her blades to extend to stick right in the dino's crotchplate......ooooo this isn't looking good for Talazia, especially as her exo is mooshed even more as it's dragged by Grimlock.... Outside, Both of the hapless Gamma Squad members targetted by Grimlock are swept off of the deck by the massive tail - more than that, they're sent flying out over the water, flying in flat arcs to where they splash into the ocean nearly half a mile away from the ship. One begins slowly swimming back towards the ship, but the other bobs to the surface, truly disabled and only floating due to automated emergency systems that kick in to keep it from sinking under the water. The pair of Exo's on the other side of the ship back away, then both voluntarily dive into the water. Maybe they're going to rescue their disabled squad-mate, although it's unlikely they wanted anything to do with Grimlock after witnessing that display. Outside, Colonel Faireborn and her two bodyguards move forward. Saul's Talon lingers behind as a result of previous simulated damage taken to its two and three thrusters. Sam isn't getting much support from the other attackers with Scattershot down and out of the picture, the Colonel has no problem with abusing her strength in numbers. All's fair in love and war, after all, and other Talons are splitting up to either help Atlantis with the dinosaur problem they're experiencing, or finishing off the Talon attacker in their midst. Sam's counterattack is predictable but no more avoidable. It was just a matter of /who/ was going to get blasted in return for the chance to shoot Sam down. Bringing her armoured arms around to protect the central body of the Talon, ammunition slams into the suit's chassis. Some of it is deflected, but more than Faireborn would like scores direct hits in key systems. While her defensive posture keeps the suit in the air, the arm mounted laser cannons go offline, leaving her without any ranged weaponry. Taking up an evasive pattern, Marissa just tries to weather the storm until the others can bring Sam down. James Bailey says, "Grimlock, take it easy, we're taking - Grimlock? Damn it, is he even on this channel?" James can be heard saying something in the background, as if he's turned away from the radio. "Is anyone in contact with the Dinobot?" Sam says, ".. negative, can attempt to contact directly. Requesting permission to disengage simulation, retrieve damaged personnel." Outside, UNS Atlantis emits another whooping alert, this one accompanied by a the call of "Man overboard." They're referring to the disabled Riptide pilot - even in a simulated attack scenario, it's considered serious and demanding immediate attention for the safety of the pilot. James' voice clicks on over the speakers. "Attention, the simulation is now disengaging. Attention, the simulation is now disengaging." Outside, From Ventress Exo-Suit , Talazia Keldahoff waits for Grimlock to stop walking before YANKING that one forearm blade out of Grimlock's plate. <> Outside, Twisting and shifting, the Talon exo-jet transforms into an exo-suit. James Bailey says, "Affirmative, we're showing complete propulsion system failure on his Riptide. You'd better help him out." Outside, Robot T-Rex! takes a moment to go "HAW HAW!" at the fleeing Riptides- really, they're like the Seaspray s of the EDC! Only wussier! As Talzia unleashes weapons on Grimlock, he hmmms, and attempts to give her malfunctioning exo a none-too-gentle *BOOT!* across the deck- Which will free him up to stomp on over to the command tower- where Grimlock's enormous dino-face soon fills an exterior window as he peeks in! "Aw, you humans quitting? Me Grimlock think you quit 'cuz me Grimlock gonna win!" Outside, From Exo-Armor Talon , Sam taps a few things on his computer console, clearing out the simulated effects. Abruptly, he turns his craft and dives down toward the water's surface, after the floundering exo-suit. Outside, Ventress Exo-Suit Robot slowly gets up under it's own power. << It wasn't about winning, Grimlock. You'd have won, yes.....but now we know how to handle that sort of situation. Thank you. >> She says before the verniers engage and the Exo lowers itself towards the water. Outside, Exo-Armor Talon Robot hovers above the Riptide, reaching down very carefully to grab hold of one of the suit's arms. EDC personel flinch back as the enormous dino-face suddenly appears. Some crew members rise halfway from their seats before the Captain manages to restore order. He looks around grimly, then exchanges nods with James. "That's correct, we're ending the simulation," he answers gravely. "It's clear that you could have likely destroyed the command tower. Secondary command may have been able to activate the weapons to continue fighting you, but under the rules of the simulation, such crippling damage would be considered a defeat." After Talazia answers, he continues, slightly angry. "But you had no business entering the simulation without proper clearance and authorization! We could have set up the sides to match you more evenly, and we would NEVER have let you approach so close." Outside, Robot T-Rex! hnfs at Talzia. "Me Grimlock think you deal with situ-ashun by not fighting me Grimlock! HAW HAW HAW!" he shakes a little water from himself in a manner akin to a dog, and then transforms! "But if you humies done, me Grimlock go to Dinobot island! Me Grimlock have friends there!" and with that, he takes off into the air and cruises towards land! Outside, There's a flurry of moving parts, and Grimlock changes to his robot mode! Outside, Faireborn ceases her evasive tactics as the simulation is called off. <> The Colonel refrains from joining Keldahoff in the rescue mission simply because if everyone dives after him it's just going to make the problem worse. <> Outside, UNS Atlantis goes about the business of collecting all of the squads and combat units that were launched. It clears for landing a squad of Shrikes that's running low on fuel, then the still-functional members of Gamma squad, then next clears Marissa's squad. One of the ship's runways is kept open at all times for when Sam and Talazia are ready to return from their rescue effort. Outside, From Exo-Armor Talon , Sam radios Talazia, "Exo-suit secured, however requesting assistance to return to carrier deck. Excess weight may cause complications." Outside, From Ventress Exo-Suit , Talazia Keldahoff is floating above the surface of the water. <> She says softly into the radio. <> She says starting to fly up towards the carrier. <> Outside, Exo-Armor Talon Robot reaches down to 'assist' the canopy in opening. *Creak*. The Talon reaches down a hand to give the pilot something to hang on to for the short trip up to the carrier. Outside, From Exo-Armor Talon , Sam flies up and sets the pilot down gently on the carrier. Meanwhile, the Riptide below bobs gently on its emergency flotation device. Outside, Twisting and shifting, the exo-suit transforms into the Talon exo-jet. Outside, Ventress Exo-Suit voyages east to the Southeast Pacific. Outside, Ventress Exo-Suit has left.